Overlords of Genocidal Wars

The strong do as they will; the weak suffer as they must – Thucydides
As World War II culminated, the victorious Allies formed an International Military Tribunal to try senior German officials accused of war crimes. These proceedings, held at the Palace of Justice in Nuremberg, Germany, became known as the Nuremberg Trials.

In his opening statement, Justice Robert Jackson, chief prosecutor for the United States, declared: “We must not forget that the record on which we judge the defendants today is one on which we will be judged tomorrow.” Of the 177 defendants, 24 were executed, 20 received life imprisonment, and 98 received prison sentences varying from 10 to 20 years.

Post-Nuremberg laws define preemptive wars as criminal wars of aggression. Unchallenged, the US and its allies initiate them at will, murdering millions around the globe. Non-compliant states are destroyed. As in Iraq, Libya, and Syria, their national cohesion and societal order are decimated.

Of the 46 US presidents, only Jimmy Carter’s four-year term remained without a US war or occupation. Carter described the US as “the most warlike nation in the history of the world.” Only three countries, Andorra, Bhutan, and Liechtenstein, have not seen a US invasion or military presence.

Washington also fuels proxy wars. Last year, President Biden signed a $94 billion foreign funding bill authorizing military aid to Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan. Despite its genocide in Gaza, this package will provide Israel with $17 billion in additional assistance. Washington is also considering new military sales worth $18 billion to Israel, including 50 F-15 fighter aircraft.

Raz Segal, Israeli historian and Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies, says Israel is carrying out a textbook case of genocide in Gaza. The ICJ has also ruled genocide in Gaza as plausible. Washington and European support and military aid to Israel constitutes complicity in genocide as outlined in Article 3 of the 1948 Convention on the Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

In his 1961 farewell address, President Eisenhower warned about the threat their Military Industrial Complex (MIC) posed to US democracy. This MIC, profiteers of war, dictates Washington’s military policy. Last year, the POTUS allocated more than half of a $1.7 trillion spending bill to defense. Apart from this, billions are doled out to maintain and operate 750 (acknowledged) military bases in 80 countries.

Belying Jackson’s words at Nuremberg, Washington’s architects, and overlords of genocidal wars invariably retire as venerated elderly statesmen. Last year, Henry Kissinger passed away in his hundredth year. Greg Grandin, Professor of History at Yale University, describes him as being instrumental in keeping the great wheel of American militarism spinning through an imperial presidency. He also labels Kissinger as an embodiment of the darker side of the American Century.

Directly responsible for the death of over 3 million people, Rolling Stone magazine published an article on his death titled: “Henry Kissinger, War Criminal Beloved by America’s Ruling Class, Finally Dies.” It describes him as history’s worst mass murderer, yet Kissinger remains the jewel in the Washington venerated statesmen crown.